The Key To Happiness
by Lushcoltrane
Summary: Cordelia saves a potential victim from some vamped-up vamps only to discover an old friend.


**The Key To Happiness**

by

John O'Connor

Pairing: Cordelia/Dawn, some Kate/Fred and a bit of Buffy/Willow implied.

Disclaimer: _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ and _Angel _and their characters are the property of Twentieth Century Fox, Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and/or the WB/UPN networks. No infringement for profit is intended. This is strictly for fun.

Notes: Originally posted in 2003. Takes place after the finales of both "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel the Series". Slightly AU as Cordelia recovered from her coma rather than dying. Also, most of the events in the last season of AtS did not occur.

Cordelia Chase walked down Sunset Strip, completely ignorant of the hookers and drug dealers, both human and demon, scattered along the famous street. She wasn't even really aware of where she was or how long she'd been walking. She was totally wrapped up in her own little world.

Unlike the old Cordy who was completely self-absorbed, this newer Cordy was very involved with the problems of others. Since she'd become a human/demon hybrid with the ability to see the future, she'd often been troubled by the visions and spent a lot of time trying to understand the more incomplete ones. She'd gotten quite good at it too.

There were times when the visions gave her all the information needed to solve a given problem (often involving saving someone from a dire fate). At times, it seemed like the Powers were supplying everything right down to the zip code. That made it easy for the teams at Angel Investigations to deal with threats.

Others, unfortunately, were much more ambiguous. Take the slimer daemon about a month ago. All that was shown to her was the underside of a pier. The teams split to check out any that matched. After fruitlessly searching virtually every entertainment and fishing pier in the Southland, they regrouped back at the Hyperion and saw a report on KTLA News about a man found dead near the old San Pedro freight docks, his body covered in highly acidic slime.

This type of outcome was fortunately rare. In the years since gaining her 'gift', Cordy had become a living prophet and most of the visions had ended less fatally. For the victims anyway.

In those same years, Angel Investigations had grown. Not tremendously but it was bigger. There were now four teams of three people; each team had a sensitive in the lineup. Angel, while still overall head of the agency, headed the primary team when they had to split up. His son, Connor, was in charge of another as was Charles Gunn, the professional vampire killer. The fourth team called itself the Angels and was headed by Kate Lochley, former LAPD detective with Cordy and Fred Burkle.

Cordelia, easily the most sensitive of the twelve, could sense when she was near the site of a vision. The drawback was she had to be within a few blocks of the location. Currently the two ungifted members of the Angels trailed behind Cordy as she meandered around trying to feel where they were needed.

"Think she's sensed anything yet?" Fred asked worriedly. After being back on Earth for a longer time than she was trapped in Pylea, she was beginning to feel uncomfortable in areas like the Strip. At one time, she'd reveled in being around so many people again.

Kate, who regularly dealt with lowlifes such as those around them, took Fred's hand, replying, "I don't think so. Not yet. Scared?"

Smiling at her, Fred shook her head, "Not with you near me."

The vision Cordelia was trying to focus on was of a brunette being attacked by a couple of the newer Ubervamps in an alley near a dimly-lit street. After telling Angel about the vision, the group was broken up and sent to prowl around various low-class areas in the LA area.

It being a slow week, Angel sent the four teams to the four likeliest locales. He led his team up to the Valley, the location of some of their deadliest encounters during the Apocalypse War. Connor took his team to Orange County around the Disneyland ruins. Gunn headed towards the partially-devastated Port of Los Angeles.

Angel's warning echoed in their ears, "Don't forget that these Ubervamps can only be slowed by the stake. You must behead them to kill them. Garlic, the cross, holy water..."

"...and sunlight, none of them do jackshit. Yadda-yadda," Gunn concluded. "We know. Can we go now?"

"Yeah, Dad, I wanna dust some vamps," Connor said.

Unconsciously echoing an old television show, Angel agreed, "Let's be careful out there."

The Ubervamps were a nasty bit of work that Wolfram and Hart had managed to bring to bear during the Apocalypse War in late '03. Based on the limited arcane knowledge of the First One, they were a cross between meta-human genetics and vampiric demonism. And they were far more deadly than the 'old-fashioned' bloodsuckers.

By early '04, like all good monsters, they, of course, took off on their own after decimating the law offices and a few other corporations nearby.

While any four teams stood a good chance of running into a group of Ubervamps, regular vamps, or rogue demon strike teams left from the War, Cordy felt like her team had to go into Hollywood where the majority of the LA demons, bad and not-so bad, had begun to congregate after the War.

For nearly two hours, they walked up and down the brightly-lit streets from Sunset to Hollywood and Vine. Finally, Kate came up and grasped her shoulder, "Cordy, it's not here. Let's give it up. I'm sure one of the other teams found the victim."

Cordelia stared blankly at Kate for a minute. Then she blinked, replying, "Yeah, but I was so sure this..." Her voice trailed off as the street faded around her.

"Well, I don't know much about visions. Nothing actually. But, well, you haven't felt anything since we left the hotel and you usually do by now so maybe there's nothing to feel. Well, not nothing, there has to be something but nothing we..." Fred's voice trailed off as she glanced quickly at the alluring she-devil in the red dress who wolf-whistled at her.

"Hey, Fred. I'm right here, remember?" Kate snapped her fingers in front of Fred.

"Oh!" Then Fred smiled broadly, "You're jealous!"

"Am not."

"Yes you are. Isn't she, Cordelia?"

"Yes... No... What?" Cordelia looked at them, her eyes a milky white.

"I said Kate's..."

"Wait, Cornpone." Kate took Cordelia's hand, "Another one?"

Cordy nodded before slipping away again. The same victim, a girl around twenty, was fighting the Ubervamps in a more familiar location. She wielded a cross but the vamps laughed at her and lunged. One caught her hand, crushing the icon to splinters. Another grabbed her long, brown hair, pulling her head back and exposing her neck...

"Sipowicz…" Cordelia whispered.

"Huh?"

"What?"

Cordy's head snapped up and she said, "I know where she is. We haven't got much time. Where's the car?"

They quickly headed southwest to Pico Boulevard. On the way, Cordelia explained her latest vision. "She wasn't being attacked in an alley. Not a real one. The second vision showed me a New York street. I recognized it from that walk-on I had on _NYPD Blue_. She's at the old Twentieth Century Fox lot. And we don't have much time."

Neither of her teammates questioned how she knew that, they just accepted it. Nor did they ask if there was more.

The studio gate was locked, but there was a large enough gap for them to squeeze through. Leaving the car on Pico, they headed in.

LA, like most of the rest of the world, was recovering from the Apocalypse War. The damage, while invariably extreme, was also limited in range. Certain areas were hard hit and others were not even touched by the battles. In LA, for some reason, the Valley, Disneyland and several of the major film studios, as well as portions of the Port of Los Angeles were ruined by the War and abandoned afterwards.

Walking past the gutted executive office building, Cordelia's face lit up. She felt it.

"This way," she called, running off to the left and into the exterior street sets. Reaching the end of New York Street, Cordy saw it all. The girl being yanked between two of the vamps while another moved in slowly. At the girl's feet were the splinters of the ineffectual cross. The Ubervamps looked un-vamplike as they moved in, just pale and hungry. The girl wasn't screaming or acting like a typical victim, she was trying to fight.

"Alright, bloodsuckers! It's clobberin' time!" Fred yelled, charging the group. Kate and Cordelia followed, brandishing their weapons.

The first vamp turned as Fred neared him. Her swing went wide and he laughed at her while grabbing her by the neck. Kate saw this and turned from one of the other vamps and raced to save the girl.

Swinging her battle axe, she neatly decapitated the vamp. His headless corpse fell to the cracked pavement as a greenish ooze flowed out of his severed neck. The body dissolved in seconds.

Cordy, trying to decide which of the two remaining vamps posed the biggest threat, saw the 'victim' pull her arms together. The speed of her movement surprised the two vamps holding her and they were jerked around to butt heads in front of her.

They reeled around and the victim pulled out a razor-sharp short sword, quickly dispatching the vamp on her right. Cordy killed the one to the girl's left, it's head bouncing to the curbside before it bubbled away.

Quickly scanning the ruined set, she asked, "Any others?"

The victim, whose voice sounded vaguely familiar, shook her head, "No. I don't think so. Just those three I followed in here."

"You followed? Ubervamps? What're you, another Slayer?"

"No, the sister of one."

Cordelia stopped and stared as she got her first glimpse of the girl's face.

"Dawn? Dawn Summers?"

"Yeah. It's me."

"Uh, what're you... Why are you here? Is there a problem in Sunnydale?"

"You mean besides the Hellmouth being buried under the Sunnydale Crater? No. Same old boring California one-time town." The young woman laughed sardonically.

"Oh yeah… But, then why..."

"School."

Kate stepped up, "Cord, I hate to break up this little reunion but..."

"Yeah. I guess we're done here. We can leave the ruin-prowling to Connor. Better come with us, Dawn."

"Sure. Why not?"

Quickly introducing the newcomer to her teammates, Cordelia led them out of the studio grounds. She judiciously left out any mention of Dawn's origins and the false memories created for her and people she 'knew'. It was confusing enough to Angel and her and they knew the whole truth.

As they walked by the burned-out sound stages, Kate looked at Fred, "Why don't you call the boys and tell them that the Angels were once again triumphant."

"Okay!" Fred responded gleefully as she pulled out a cell phone.

"'It's clobberin' time'?" Kate then asked, her eyebrow cocked teasingly. "Too many of Gunn's old comic books..."

Fred grinned at her innocently, shrugging as she spoke to one of their other teams.

Soon, the four women were in the old, battered Taurus wagon heading back to the Hyperion. Kate drove with Fred sitting next to her. Cordelia rode in back with their guest.

"How's your hand?" she asked Dawn, looking for damage from the crushing grip of the supervamp she had seen in the vision.

"Okay. Little sore." And Cordy couldn't see much more than a couple of small cuts and scratches.

"You were lucky."

"Not just luck," Dawn responded.

"Oo-kay. So. You're here for school?"

"Uh-huh. MBA at UCLA."

"Oh," Cordelia replied quietly. After the Apocalypse War, college wasn't a priority for a lot of the current generation.

Back at the Hyperion, Fred took their weapons and returned them to the old cabinet they used as a weapons locker. Kate went to the computer to log another supervamp kill into the LAPD data base.

Cordy took the time to really look at the girl. _This was the gawky, all-arms-and-legs kid I ignored when I ran with the Scoobies? Or made to remember when... Never mind, but talk about the proverbial ugly duckling... Not that Dawn was ever ugly..._ Cordy's thoughts ran randomly through her brain.

Cordelia gazed at Dawn. She still had long brown hair that hung down her back in soft curves. Her large blue-green eyes missed nothing. And the silly-looking overbite had matured into the one of the sexiest Cordelia had seen in years.

_What am I doing? This is Buffy's sister! My friend's sister. She's not like that. Can't be, not after the way she used to moon over Xander. And that vamp that replaced Angel..._ Even after the years since the War, Cordelia still couldn't utter Spike's name. Even to herself.

Dawn looked at Cordelia and smiled, "What are you looking at?"

Trying not to melt at the smile directed to her, Cordy stammered, "Uh, noth...nothing. I was just...remembering..." With a laugh, she went on, "When did you grow up?"

Cocking an eyebrow, the younger brunette said, "A few years ago. Duh-uh."

Dawn watched as Fred walked into the office and draped her arms over Kate's shoulders, her chin resting on the former cop's shoulder.

"So, they're together...?"

"Yeah. For a couple of years now. You don't have a problem with that, do you?"

"No, course not. Just that the brunette... She seems familiar, like I knew her in another life…" Dawn gave a quick shake of her head, her hair dancing on her shoulders. "Anyway, what about you? Anyone special?"

Cordelia looked at the pair in the office and said somewhat sadly, "Not for a couple of years..."

"Oh. Who? The cop or the cowgirl?"

"Both." Seeing the question in Dawn's surprised look, Cordy added, "Okay, long story short. First Fred, after she and Gunn broke up. We just grew apart. Then Kate when she moved back from New York. She and I resumed our relationship but it wasn't the same. She was smitten by the Fred-bug and I bowed out gracefully."

"I thought so! You and the brunette! And the blonde!"

"What? Dawn, what do you mean?"

"I guess I've developed this sense about people. I felt that you and..." Dawn stopped and grinned, "I just see you as the brunette type. What happened?"

"After Angel and I decided that we... The whole thing with Connor got in the way. And well, then Fred and I were trying to console each other and, you know... We finally decided it wasn't more than friendship - what we felt. Then Kate came back and we had a little fling before she confessed that she was falling for Fred."

"I'm sorry. That must've hurt."

"Not really. I knew Kate and I weren't really compatible outside of the bedroom. And, well, she and Fred just fit together so well, you know? The street-smart ex-cop and the not-so naive farm girl."

"Since then, no one?"

"No one special. I haven't found Ms. Right. And from that comment, you can tell I'm not interested Mr. Right."

"Really? Why not?"

Cordy smiled sadly, "Burned too many times. I joke that it's the Powers' way of getting back at me for my Queen C days. But really, I just have no interest in men now."

"Yeah, the Queen. You know, when I was a kid, I used to have the biggest crush on..."

"Huh?" Cordy looked up when Dawn stopped talking.

"Uh, never mind."

"Okay." _For now,_ Cordelia promised herself. "C'mon Dawn. Let's see what has them so fascinated."

The Boys, as the Angels called them, returned. After introductions were made where needed, Angel sat down with Dawn to catch up on life post-Sunnydale.

"So, Dawn... How's things back home? You know, uh, Cleveland?"

"Buffy?"

"Yeah. And the Scoobies."

"It's just that you never seemed to care about S-dale. Never came back to visit or..."

"Not true. So not true. I came back. I did the whole you-can't-go-home-again thing. And the guy who wrote that was right.

"So, anyway, how are things with, you know, with Willow and Xander and... And Buffy."

"Good. Xander has been making money hand over fist in post-war construction. Willow and Buffy are pretty busy too. Rebuilding the Watcher's Council and training all the new Slayers. Faith too."

Wesley chimed in as he walked up to them. "Sorry for the interruption but I'd love a chance to speak with you, Dawn. You are something of an oddity, even in our business..."

"Wesley!" Cordelia shouted.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."

Dawn smiled, "It's okay. No harm, no foul. I sometimes forget I was the Key. The memories those monks created..."

"Yeah. For all of us," Cordy agreed.

"Anyway, Buffy is doing okay. I think she's finally happy."

"Good. That's great. Really." Angel paused for a moment. "So how's the new Hellmouth?"

"Cleveland? Still spewing demons occasionally. Willow and Buffy do their part and they've got a new gang of Slayers who've volunteered to help out."

"Great. What brings you here?"

Dawn, with Cordelia's help, briefly recapped the evening for Angel and Wesley. Then Dawn explained in more detail why she had been hunting the Ubervamps.

"So, your professor was a supervamp?" Angel asked.

"Yeah. Guess they aren't too picky who teaches nowadays."

"You've taken up slaying?" Cordy asked.

"Not like Buffy but... The sonuvabitch tried to put the bite on me. Sire me. Not to mention, he gave me a 'C' on the last pop quiz," Dawn smiled cheekily.

Later, Cordelia was sitting on a couch looking over the latest Cosmo while Angel showed Dawn around.

"Some things never change."

"Hey Dawn" Cordy held up the magazine displaying the cover, "But some things do."

Dawn looked and saw one of the cover articles _Is Your Lover a Demon in Bed or Just a Demon?_

"Jeez," Dawn laughed.

"So, you didn't freak out about me and..."

"Well, growing up with Willow and Tara. Then when Willow and Buffy finally got together... It's kind of hard to freak out about something you see every day."

"Yeah."

"Do you miss them? I mean..."

"Yes, I know what you mean. And there are times I wake up in the middle of the night and...the empty bed... So, how are the Witch and the Slayer?"

"Good change-of-subject. They're both great. Like I told Angel, Buffy is really happy. For the first time since...at least since Mom died. Willow and Buffy needed each other to fix the my-boyfriend-was-a-vamp-I'm-back-from-the-dead/my-lover-was-shot-I-have-a-dark-wicked-witch-of-the-west-side parts of themselves.

"And they're really cute together."

Cordy smiled, "I'm glad you're okay with this."

"Hey, it's the 21st century. I almost have to be."

"Okay, now the big question. You've been in town since the beginning of the term... Why didn't you come to see us?"

Dawn looked at the floor. Her voice, for the first time since they had met at the old studio lot, was hesitant. "I...I wanted to but... I didn't know if... And school was hectic and then I found out one of my professor's was a supervamp and... I..."

"Dawn, it's okay. I was just teasing. Don't worry. It's alright."

"No, it's not alright. I guess I can tell you. I used to have a big crush on..." Dawn looked at Cordelia for a long moment then dropped her eyes again, "Angel."

"Really? Dawn? Truth?" Cordelia had become quite adept at reading untruths in people.

Still looking down, she shook her head, "No. I... I had a crush on you. But...you were the head cheerleader and in high school and I was just in grade school and junior high and clumsy and..."

Cordelia took the younger girl's hand, "Dawn. It's okay. I'm glad you told me."

"Really? I wanted to tell you back in school but I was afraid."

"I'm glad you waited. Back then, I was too much of a bitch to see beyond myself. To be honest, I hardly knew you were alive. But, well, I changed..."

"The War?"

"Yes, that. But really before the War. Even before I started to work here. When my family lost it all... Well, it opened my eyes. Then, working here with Angel, Doyle, Wesley and Gunn, I started to understand. But it wasn't 'til after Pylea and my final shot at queenhood-dom..."

"What?"

"Pylea. Demon world where humans are cattle... Ask Fred, she can finally really talk about it. If she wants to. But she's better about that time. Thanks to Kate."

"Okay. I guess."

"Anyway, after that was my stint as a Higher Power. I guess what I was trying to say is that I've changed. I'm not the self-centered snob I used to be. Sure, I still like good clothes and new shoes but I finally have come to understand that there's more to life." Cordelia looked away, her eyes sad.

"More?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah," Cordy replied. "C'mon, let's get you settled for the night. It's too late to head back to campus tonight."

They went upstairs quietly, both musing over the fact that they, like everyone who knew Dawn, talked about the past like it was all real. It had been scary for Dawn at the beginning but had become reassuring, like a sign of acceptance of her nature.

Cordelia led Dawn down the main hall to one of the nicer empty suites. "Here you go. Sheets should be clean, this is one of the rooms we keep ready for over-nighters. Which have been more common the past few years..."

"Good. Kinda like clean sheets. You know, dorm life."

"Okay. I'm just down there if you need anything."

"Thanks Cordelia."

"Not a problem," Cordy smiled and headed to her room. Dawn watched the older woman walk down the hall.

A few minutes later, there was a gentle knock on Cordelia's door. "Yes?"

"Cordelia? Can I come in?" It was Dawn, which was not all that surprising to Cordelia.

"Sure."

The younger woman entered and stopped when she saw Cordelia. The seer was wearing a long San Diego Chargers jersey and little else.

"I... I'm sorry. I didn't..." Dawn turned to go.

"Wait, Dawn. What is it?"

"Nothing. You're obviously ready to go to sleep..."

Cordy gave her a small smile, "Well, I was getting ready for bed but I'm really not very sleepy. What can I do for you?" From the brief hungry look in Dawn's eyes, Cordy had a clue what the girl wanted from her.

"I guess I'm too keyed up to sleep. No pun intended..." Cordy chuckled with her. "I was kinda hoping we could, you know, talk or..."

"Or what?" Cordy prompted.

"Nothing. Forget it. I'll see you in the morning."

Dawn started to open the door. Cordelia stepped up and pushed it closed. "Dawn, what do you want? What do you really want?"

"I...can't say..."

"Dawn? Do you still...have a crush on me?" Cordy asked with a gentle smile.

"Ye-yes," Dawn whispered. This was more like the girl Cordy was supposed to remember: shy, unsure of herself.

"You know something? When I saw you, I knew why I had that vision. It all made sense."

"Uh...what do you mean?" Dawn asked, confused by this apparent change of topic.

"Since the Wars, my visions have been more general. You know, a demon horde attacking a night club or vamps overrunning a school dance. I almost never have one so centralized in scope, so focused. You know what I mean?"

"I...I guess so."

"What I'm trying to say is that the Powers let me have specific visions as a sort of payback for the responsibility of the whole vision thing.

"When I have such specific visions, it almost always centers on someone who I care about. You understand?"

Dawn finally looked up into Cordelia's eyes, "You care...?"

"Yes. Very much."

Cordy leaned forward and kissed Dawn gently. Dawn returned the pressure of her closed lips. Cordelia's arms encircled the younger woman as the kiss deepened.

Pulling back slightly, Cordy asked, "Is this what you want?"

"Y-yes. Y-you?"

Cordy had to smile. This girl could fight off supervamps that would make macho he-men piss their pants but she was scared of...what? Cordy? Being with another woman? It didn't matter. Not at that moment. All that mattered was the lovely younger woman in her arms.

Cordy kissed Dawn again, her tongue pushing into the younger woman's mouth to find a willing participant in their oral dance.

At the feel of Cordelia's tongue against hers, Dawn moaned. It was so much more than she had hoped. And the feel of Cordy's body against hers... Cordy wasn't wearing anything under the jersey! Her arms dropped quickly.

The kiss grew in passion as Cordelia ran her hands over Dawn's back. She realized that, while the girl was enthusiastically responding to the kiss, her hands were hanging limply at her sides. Cordy took Dawn's wrists and moved the unresisting hands back to rest on her ass.

Dawn took the hint and squeezed the round flesh through the jersey. Growing bolder, she slipped her hands under the jersey, kneading the round, tight but still fleshy cheeks. When Cordy gasped into her mouth, she knew was doing the right thing.

Cordelia broke the kiss and moved her mouth to Dawn's ear. Nibbling lightly the ear, she muttered, "Dawn, I want you. I want to taste you tonight. Now."

As Cordy's tongue snaked into her ear, Dawn moaned again and tightened her grip on the woman's ass. She could feel her arousal building, the wetness growing between her legs. She managed to whisper, "I want you too."

Cordelia pulled back from the younger woman and took her hand, leading her to the bed. "I don't think we'll need to worry about that other room, will we?"

Dawn shook her head, smiling. "I hope not. I want to stay with you."

"I think that can be arranged," Cordy replied with a giggle. "First, though, I think you have too many clothes on..."

Cordelia pulled the girl's blouse off, exposing a strapless bra. She bent and kissed the exposed skin above Dawn's bra. Her lips met soft warmth and she could feel the girl's racing heart through the tender contact.

Cordy kissed Dawn softly saying, "It's okay. You don't have to be nervous."

"It's just that... I've never done this before... With another girl... What if...?"

"Don't worry. If you'd like, I'll..."

"Will you teach me?" Dawn asked quickly, cutting off Cordelia.

"I would love to. How do you want to star...?"

Again Dawn interrupted Cordy, this time with another passionate kiss.

_This kind of interruption I could get to like, _Cordy thought before she gave herself fully to the deep, wet and loving kiss.

The older girl managed to unhook Dawn's bra. Cordy moved back enough to allow the bra to fall without breaking the kiss.

Dawn whimpered when Cordelia pulled her mouth away to plant gentle kisses along her jaw. Moving further, Cordelia sucked gently at the skin of Dawn's throat. Her mouth covered an old, imperfectly-healed bite mark, a reminder of the horrors of the War.

A feeling of fear began to grow when Dawn felt Cordy sucking on her bite mark. The feeling ebbed as she felt the other woman's tongue caress the scar tissue, adding spiritual healing to the physical. She hadn't let anyone touch her anywhere near there since that awful night near the end of the War.

Cordelia murmured quietly against the scarred flesh, "It's okay, Dawn. I will never hurt you. I will always take care of you."

At those half-heard words, Dawn surrendered herself completely to the woman she had desired for so long. "Oh Cordelia...please... Feels so good..."

Cordy moved down and held one of the girl's rounded breasts in her hand as she said, "I want to make it feel even better."

True to her word, she began to suck on the soft flesh, feeling the nipple harden against her tongue. Dawn tasted fresh and clean, like the dawn. Cordy had to smile at her unintentional pun as she continued to please her new lover.

Switching to the other breast, she used her fingers to keep the wet nipple excitedly erect. From the wordless sounds coming from Dawn's mouth, she was doing a pretty good job. It may have been a while since she'd been with a woman but it was just like riding a bike.

This brought a small chuckle to her throat which translated into highly erotic vibrations to Dawn's breast.

"Corrrdeee..."

Dawn slumped against Cordelia, breathing heavily. Cordy stood up right and looked at the girl in surprise. "Dawn, did you...climax?"

"Uh...yea-yeah. Um, I guess I did," Dawn replied, squeezing out the words between deep breaths. "I...I'm sorry."

Cordy took Dawn into her arms and held her tight, "Don't be. Don't ever be sorry. I'm flattered that you're so excited to be with me."

Dawn smiled and Cordy felt something loosen inside her that had been held tightly for too long. She smiled back, "Dawn, did you know that the first orgasm isn't always the best?"

"I've heard that. Buffy and Willow were talking one morning and... Well, they didn't know I was there and... I didn't mean to eavesdrop..."

Dawn was once again the nervous kid from Sunnydale, albeit in a very nicely matured body, Cordy observed. And she was so cute. Cordy had to kiss her again.

Dawn took the kiss from sweetness to heat and the two were again moaning into each other's mouths. The kiss seemed to last forever. Neither woman wanted it to end.

Finally, Dawn pulled back. "Can I see you? Naked?"

Cordelia nodded and reached down to pull off the jersey. Dawn's hands covered Cordy's, "Let me. Please."

Dawn slowly pulled the jersey up, staring in admiration at the smooth flesh as it was slowly exposed. As the dark triangle between Cordelia's legs appeared, the admiration quickly changed to lust.

Dawn then saw the smooth skin of Cordy's stomach, only slightly marred by scars from her battles. She longed to kiss them as Cordy had kissed her scar.

As she pulled up on the synthetic material, Dawn shivered when her fingers brushed Cordelia's nipples. Cordy shivered in response.

Finally, Dawn lifted the jersey over Cordelia's head and dropped it to the floor. Cordy shook her head, her once-again long locks dancing in the light.

The older woman smiled when she saw her new lover staring open-mouthed.

"You like?" she teasingly asked.

Dawn nodded and muttered, "My God, you're more beautiful than I dreamed..."

"Thank you. So are you," Cordy responded, her eyes drinking in the site of Dawn's bare torso. "But I'm being cheated."

"Huh?"

"Too many clothes!" Cordy knelt before Dawn, "Here, let me help you.

As Cordelia removed her tennis shoes and socks, Dawn gazed down at her in rapture. Then, glancing to the side, she saw their reflection in the closet door mirror. It was incredible.

She saw herself in profile, her breasts standing proudly on her chest, her hair hanging loosely over one shoulder. At her feet was the pricelessly beautiful image of a naked Cordelia Chase, her own long hair brushing Dawn's now-bare feet.

Cordy undid the button-fly of Dawn's jeans and quickly peeled the faded denim down and off. Dawn was down to her panties, a large wet spot darkening the front.

"Hmm..." Cordelia said as she pressed her nose into Dawn's crotch. "Ambrosia."

Even as she was becoming more and more turned on, Dawn couldn't help but smile. Cordelia, the object of her teenage lust, wanted her.

Cordelia did want her. At that moment, she wanted Dawn more than any other lover, a feeling she would come to know well over the ensuing years. The girl's aroma aroused the already turned-on seer. She quickly pulled the sodden panties down over Dawn's curvy hips and took a deeper breath.

"Dawn," Cordelia said in a husky whisper. Then she pressed her face between the girl's legs, tasting the saturation from her first climax. Her hands cupped Dawn's rounded ass cheeks, partially supporting the excited girl.

"Oh God! Cordelia!" Dawn's outburst was well above a whisper as she felt the woman's lips and tongue exploring her. "Yes! That feels so... Oh GOD!"

Cordelia lapped up the dew in Dawn's pubic patch. The taste was musky and sweet and sour and wonderful. She moved her face slightly and reached out for the source with her tongue.

The seer's tongue delved deep within Dawn's sopping mound, tracing the contours of her sex then trusting deep between the girl's labia. Alternately licking and tonguing the girl, Cordelia was rewarded with another climax.

"OOOOO! GGGAAWWDD! CCCCOOOORRRRDDDDEEEEEEEEE!"

Dawn started to collapse as her legs turned to rubber. The only things holding her up were Cordelia's strong hands grasping her ass and the older woman's face pressed deep within her, still tasting the girl's cum.

"God, Cordy! Please stop!" Dawn pleaded.

Cordy spoke into the girl, "No. Not yet."

The words resonated within her, exciting her anew. Dawn tried to force herself to remain upright.

Cordelia continued to lick the girl's wet heat, venturing up to lave the base of her clit and down to tease the sensitive flesh behind her slit.

Her tongue darted all around the small area, never staying too long at any point. From the crevice between Dawn's legs, to the hot, buttery vagina, to the erect little clitoris - her tongue danced around it all. Every time Cordy could feel Dawn tense in a preclimactic state, she moved her tongue and lips elsewhere.

Finally, she sucked the hard nubbin between her lips and lapped at the tip. Cordelia knew the girl wasn't going to last much longer and allowed her to climax again.

With a wordless scream, Dawn fell. Cordy caught her and cradled her limp body as Dawn fell into a blissful abyss.

Cordy held the girl gently, her hair falling like a dark curtain around their faces. She was looking down at the beautiful face as Dawn's eyes fluttered open.

"Hi," she said simply.

"Oh wow! I never... Cordelia, you are..." Dawn decided not to fight the verbal logjam and kissed her lover hard. Her hand slipped up and around Cordelia's slender neck, pulling the woman more tightly to her.

Finally breaking the kiss, Dawn asked, "Do I really taste like that?" Cordy merely smiled. "I want to try that."

Cordy stood and helped Dawn to her feet, leading her to the bed. Sitting down, she pulled Dawn once more into her lap, stroking the soft hair. After sharing another deep kiss, Cordelia asked, "Are you sure? You don't have to, you know."

"Yes I do. I guess I need to… And, even more, I want to."

Kneeling, Dawn spread Cordelia's knees and gazed at the wet lips beneath the crown of brown curls. Licking her lips, the girl leaned in and tasted Cordy.

Even though she was inexperienced, Dawn made up for it with her vigor and enthusiasm. As she nibbled and tongued the hot flesh of Cordelia's sex, she tasted another woman for the first time. And wanted more.

Inexperienced or not, Dawn was soon rewarded when Cordy climaxed with a loud scream.

"DAAAWWWNNNNNIIIIEEEE!"

* * *

Down the corridor, Fred snuggled up to Kate and said, "Sounds like someone's having fun."

Kate hugged her lover close and said, "Yes, it does. Kinda gives me an idea..."

The ex-cop and the ex-cowgirl shared a deep kiss. Soon their cries echoed down the corridor, reigniting Dawn and Cordelia's lust.

* * *

As dawn brightened the eastern sky, Cordy and Dawn snuggled under a thin blanket, both thoroughly sated for the time being.

"Dawn, I had a vision when I came the first time."

"Oh? Is someone in danger?" Dawn asked, worried that she might have distracted Cordelia from her responsibilities.

"Yes, me. In danger of falling for you." Dawn looked at her with a mix of puzzlement and hope. "The vision is of us growing old together." Then Cordy told a little white line, "And my visions are never wrong."

"Oh, that sounds wonderful, Cordelia," Dawn said before kissing the woman who held her tight.

What neither lover knew then, but learned as their years together went on, Cordy's white lie, in this case, was the truth.

* * *

The Angels took the lead and, with Connor's team, were scouring the area around the Santa Monica Pier. Some Ubervamps had been spotted there and Dawn had volunteered their team.

Cordy was slightly irritated with her new teammate but forgave Dawn for overstepping her bounds after hearing the younger woman's whispered promise to make it up to her.

That only made Cordy redouble her efforts to finish this job and return to their room at the Hyperion.

**The End**


End file.
